Lindsay Clancy: the trial driving debate on postpartum mental health

Screengrab from Clancy trial. Credit: CNN

By Erin Dean

The US mother charged with the murder of her three young children repeatedly sought medical help in the weeks and months before their deaths.

The trial of Lindsay Clancy in the US for the murder of her children has drawn a huge amount of international attention. Much of the case and media coverage has focused on the role her mental health played in the deaths – and led to questions about the care she received.

Why is Clancy on trial?

Clancy was charged with first-degree murder following the deaths of her three children: Cora, five, Dawson, three, and Callan, eight months.

Her defence team argued the deaths happened while she was experiencing postpartum psychosis

Clancy was on maternity leave from her job as a registered nurse when the children were strangled with exercise bands at home in Massachusetts in January 2023.

Afterwards she cut her wrists and neck and jumped out of an upstairs window. The suicide attempt left her paralysed from the waist down.